Automatic starter switch



Jan. 19, 1932. w 5 SMITH 1,841,684

AUTOMOBILE STARTER SWITCH Filed June 11, 1929 IHIIIIIIIIIIII INVENTOR WS. Slaw? Patented Jan. 19, 1932 WAYNE is m QI' WED, GALII'ORNIA.

auron'nc srsa'rsa swrrcn Application filed June 11, 1939. Serial No.820,101.

This invention relates to motor vehicles and articularly to a mechanismfor controlling t e operation of the starter motor.

he principal object of my invention is to I provide an automaticallyfunctioning switch structure governed by the en ine itself by means of wich the engine wi 1 be turned over and restarted if it stalls for anreason, withoutany attention on the part 0 the driver being necessary.Also the mere closin of the engine ignition switch, if the vehic e hasnot been already running, will immediately cause the starter motor tofunction.

By means of the improved switch therefore not only are ordinarystartingoperations facilitated but the annoyance and hazards due to the enginestalling as it sometimes does in traflic and other places will beavoided, as will be evident, and the necessity for a starting pedal or ahand switch other than that also used to close the engine ignitioncircuit Y is eliminated.-

25 The automatic starter switch is also constructed so that as soon asthe en e is turned over and is operating undernts own power the switchwill be automatically opened so that the starter motor will cease tofunction-until the occasion for its use again arises. v

A further object of the invention is to roduce a simple and inexpensivedevice an yet one which will be exceedingly. effective for the purposefor which it is designed.

These 'objectsI accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of arts as will fully appear by a perusal of the ollowingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference dicate correspondingparts in the several views. g

Fig. 1 is a side outline of an automobile engine of acertain makeshowing the mounting of my im roved starter switch in connection therewiFi 2 is a sectional elevation of the switch detac ed. i

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the operation of the governorcontrol catch.

ration of the Fig. 4 is a diagram of the circuit in which the switch isinterposed. I I

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings the numeral 1 denotes a shaft adapted to be driven from theengine 2, preferabl at a somewhat greater s ed than the cran haft of theengine. In 'fierentengines difierent vi'ayfs must of course be employedto drive this s 1a t.

In the present instance I have shown the shaft as being interposedbetween the generator 3 and the pump 4 of the engine, and forming aconnection between the shafts thereof, so as to be driven by whicheverone of said shafts is itself driven by the engine.

Adapted to be mounted on the engine case or other fixed member is abracket 5 from which sleeves 6 project parallel to the shaft.-

These sleeves are insulated and spaced from each other and while notnecessarily in the opposed relation shown are preferably the samedistance from the shaft radially of the same. Spring pressed contacts 7are slidable in the sleeves and are positioned to simultaneously engagea continuous contact ring 8 disposed concentric with the shaft on a disc9 which is mounted on a hub 10 slidably keyed on the shaft, .Adjustably'fixed on the shaft some distance from the disc in the directionaway'from the contacts is a collar 11 having opposed arms 12 pivotedthereon and carry- 1ng weights 13 on their outer ends. Pairs of links 14extend tween the hub 10 and the arms -12 interme iate the ends of thelatter and are pivoted toboth. The above structure, as will be evident,forms a speed controlled governor, the'parts of which are preferablyarranged and proportioned so that the contacts 7 will be engaged by thering 8 only when the governor arms are in their idle or at-restposition, at which time the weights bear against the links as shown inFig. 2.

.A light compression sprin 15 dis osed about the haft between the col arand uh acts to move the vernor to an idle position and the hub and lscunit toza contact engaging position. The relative eflectiveness of theweights and spring is also such that the weights will only move to suchfull idle position when the speed of the shaft 1 is practically nil.

The circuit to the starter motor 16 of the engine comprises a lead 17extending from the battery 18 to one of the sleeves 6 with a hand switch19 interposed therein, and another lead 20 from the other sleeve to themotor. The switch 19 is also interposed in the engine ignition circuitEC so that the one switch serves both to close the engine circuit andinitially close the starter motor circuit.

By means of the above construction it will be seen that whenever theengine stops the contacts 7 will be engaged by the ring 8 and thecircuit to the starter motor will be'closed, assuming that the switch 19is also closed. The starter motor will be thus automatically energizedand as soon as the shaft 1 is rotatin at a predetermined speed thegovernor wil act to withdraw and hold the contact ring discaway from thecontacts, breaking the circuit to the motor until the engine againstops, when the operations are repeated. If, it is intentionally desiredthat the motor shall not be turned over it is only necessary to open theswitch 19 which at the same time opens the engine ignition circuit. Thisfeature avoids the possibility ofthe ignition switch .being left closedafter the engine stops and it is not desired to start it again, as isnow frequently the case and which of course soon exhausts the battery.

The overnor preferably ceases to function and thus causes the startermotor circuit to be closed only when the shaft 1 is practicallystationary. A very slight increase in the speed of the shaft wouldtherefore cause the governor to function to break the circuit,

before the engine was actually running under its own power, were notsome means provided so that a greater shaft speed is necessary to startthe governor functionlng than that which causes it to stop functioning.-Such means is constructed as follows:

A catch do 21 is pivotally connected with each pair 0 links just beyondthe corresponding weight, bem shaped to partially project over such weigt when the latter is at rest so as to revent the outward movement of theweight without swinging the dog a certain distance back. A snap actionspring 22 between the link and dog acts either to hold the latter in aweight engaging position or clear of the path of the same,-after theweight has once pushed its way past the dog, as shown in Fig. 3. A stopnub 23 provided with the dog on the side of the pivot op osite theweight is arranged to engage the lin and act to limit the movement ofthe dog away from the weight so that the spring will be only a veryslight distance past dead center. Another nub 24projects from thedogadjacent the link and under the path of the weight to be engaged bysaid weight as the latter reaches 1ts at-rest or idle position, so as tothen cause the dog to be swung from its retracted position to a weightengaging one. The spring 22 being preferably only just past dead centerit ofiers little resistance to such movement by the weight, but isarranged so that it must be expanded a considerably greater distance toallow the weight to push past the same when once engaged thereby. Thegovernor is therefore held inoperative until the speed of the shaft 1 issuch that a centrifugal force is generated by such speed to enable theweights to overcome the spring action and move outwardly past the dogs.Said dogs will then remain in their retracted positions until with theslowing down of the shaft the weights again approach said dogs and causethem to move to a weight engaging position, as above described.

The entire mechanism above described, with the exception of the ends ofthe shaft, are preferably enclosed by a removable housing 25 supportedby the bracket 5.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practicesuch deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An automatic switch for the starter motor of an engine including ashaft adapted to be driven by the engine, spaced contacts arranged forinterposition in the motor circuit, a contact ring member engaging thecontacts when the shaft is stationary, a governor structure mounted onthe shaft and connected to the member to draw the latter away from thecontacts when the overnon functions with the rotation of the s aft, saidgovernor being in its fully idle or contracted position when said memberis en aged with the contacts, and means arranged in connection with saidgovernor for resisting the functioning of the governor when once in suchidle position until the shaft has attained a predetermined speed whilepermitting the overnor to move unrestrainedly to said fully idleposition with a lesser speed of the shaft.

2. An automatic switch comprising a driven shaft, spaced contactsadapted to be interposed in a circuit, a contact ring slidable on theshaft to engage the contacts when the shaft is stationary, a governorstructure mounted on the shaft, and arms ivoted at one end and havingfly-balls on t eir other ends, said arms being arranged to swingoutwardl with the rotation of the shaft from a pre etermined idleposition relative to the connecting said arms to the ring to draw thelatter away from the contacts with the outward swinging of the arms,catch dogs mounted in connection withthe ring (positioned to engage andengagingly actuate by the balls when the latter assume their idleposition, and spring means acting on the do s to resist the outwardswinging movement 0% the arms. 3. An automatic switch comprising adriven shaft, spaced contacts adapted to be interposed in circuit, acontact ring slidable on the shaft to engage the contacts when the shaftis stationary, a governor structure mounted on the shaft, and armsivoted at one 115 end and having fly-balls on their other ends, saidarms being arranged to swing outwardly with the rotation of the shaftfrom a predetermined idle position relative to the shaft when the latteris stationary, means connect: 'ing said arms to the ring to draw thelatter away from the contacts with the outward swinging of the arms,catch means to yieldably engage the balls as the latter reach their idleposition, and spring means yieldahly acting on said catch means with areater pressure in a ball releasing'direction t an in a ball engagingdirection.

In test mony whereof I aflix my signature.

so WAYNE s. SMITH.

